Google+ Allergy-Free Vintage Cookery: What in the world is a food mold allergy?

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Monday, August 1, 2011

What in the world is a food mold allergy?


Today's post is sponsored by Loretta and Ed Coughlin.... aren't they cute?  (They're relatives.)  A photo of moldy food is not the most attractive illustration, so we'll go with the vintage angle instead!

Prior to having the kids tested, I had never heard of a food mold allergy.  Turns out, I have it too!  While we are obviously supposed to avoid outdoor molds, like those found in piles of leaves in the fall, we were surprised to learn that we would also have to avoid molds found in food.  "How often do we eat moldy food?" we laughed.  "This should be easy!"... and then we found out what we really needed to do.

Apparently, any kind of aged food can trigger a reaction in a mold-allergic person.  Now we need to avoid aged cheeses, vinegar, pickles, soy sauce, sour cream, mushrooms, smoked meats & fish, dried fruits and alcohol.  Included in this list are also mayonnaise (vinegar), ketchup (vinegar), raisins, mustard (vinegar), green olives, hot dogs, ham, bacon, cider, canned tomatoes, soured breads (rye & pumpernickel), relish, sauerkraut, corned beef, and even chocolate.  And that's just on the list we got from the allergist!  Other sources suggest that black tea, maple sugar and even citric acid (look on the closest ingredient list -- it's in everything!) need to be avoided as well.

As you can imagine, this has thrown a huge monkey wrench into our search for recipes we can all eat.   Luckily, our allergist assures us that several months without the offending foods should give our immune systems enough time to "reset" themselves, and we can look forward to adding back a few forbidden items down the road.

Has anyone else had any experience with food mold avoidance?

3 comments:

  1. Hi,

    I have a question since I also have a mold allergy.. What type of salad dressing do you use? I have been looking for one to use without vinegar but have been unable.

    Thanks,
    Jennifer Sweet

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  2. Hi Jennifer ~ I use olive oil and lemon juice or orange juice... I've never seen a salad dressing without vinegar either! Lisa

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for the the answer! Very tough trying to learn how to do without some things....

    Thanks,
    Jennifer

    ReplyDelete